I think there are at least two good ways to make Biblical art (films, music, paintings, etc.). One is to challenge the source material, whether artistically or theologically. This can mean reinterpretation, or greater scholarship. The musical Jesus Christ Superstar comes to mind as a successful example. The other way is to create a work that isn't likely to offend anyone, but is epic. Ben-Hur (1959) is such an epic.

I don't think you can successfully show religious material and be tame. You gotta go after it in a big way, regardless of which approach you take. Like Doctor Zhivago, Ben-Hur is very long (almost four hours), begins with an orchestral Overture, and includes an Intermission and orchestral Entre-act. It's a beautiful, well directed and well acted film. Taking place between 1 and roughly 35 A.D., it's the story of Judah Ben-Hur side-by-side with the the emergence of a young Rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth. Ben-Hur is, in my opinion, primarily a Jewish tale. Jesus was Jewish, of course, and the separation into Christianity didn't occur for many decades.

The few scenes involving Jesus are well done, never giving his face or voice, more effectively revealing his impact through the reactions of the other characters. The movie captures the politics and culture of Roman rule in Judea that will ultimately give way to Jewish control (and, sadly, two more millennia of Middle Eastern destruction as that control is challenged).

Charlton Heston portrays the most rugged Jewish man in history. He does a great job, moving believably from peaceful, elite non-violent man, to vengeful slave, to lover, to savior of his family. His feud with one-time friend Messala, played handsomely by Stephen Boyd, is of course the metaphor for the history surrounding them.

The famous chariot race is simply amazing. According to the IMDB, it used 15,000 extras on an 18 acre set, and took five weeks to film.

I didn't know that this film was a remake of an earlier silent version, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925). That movie is supposed to be just as excellent, perhaps more so. I'll have to rent that some day.

I must mention one other thing. The score by top composer Mikl�s R�zsa is terrific.

This is a film that can be enjoyed, I think, by those of any beliefs. I certainly recommend it.

This looks just like those watercolor images used in the Bible kids books that were kept in doctors' waiting rooms when I was a kid.

Charlton Heston

Stephen Boyd

The beautiful May McAvoy. As usual, the women have far more sense than the men.

Equally beautiful Kathleen Kay who, sadly, had limited screen time.

Commendable work from Frank Currier as Judah's Roman adoptive father.

Mitchell Lewis is one of my favorite characters, and he utters the best line in the movie. After Masala accepts his wager on the chariot race with a scoffing "A Roman is ten times a Jew--or an Arab.", Sheik Ilderim chuckles and comments, "Bravely spoken."

What you see here is the white horses jumping over a broken chariot in their path.

And here, you see the stunt man being flung up over the chariot. He somehow managed to keep his grip and return to the chariot with only a few bruises.

Heston in a pinnacle moment.

I liked American Graffit (1973), but wasn't wowed by it. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's dismay that once upon a time George Lucas was a good writer and--in my opinion--very smart about who he worked with. That is, he worked with people who balanced his weaknesses and/or pushed back on his decisions. American Graffit snaps and pops along, with a freshness that's just plain fun. Reading the trivia for the film, I see there were many unplanned or improvised moments that were left in. I can't imagine such relaxed creative abandon occurring on The Phantom Menace.

This was an early movie for many of its stars, though I see that Richard Dreyfuss had been in television and movies for the nine prior years! And, of course, Ron Howard had been acting since he was a child.

The music is fun, the story is fun. There's not nearly enough seriousness to be taken seriously. I can see why this was such a popular movie. I don't see why it made AFI's top 100. But I enjoyed it just the same.

The title shot. This is as close to daylight as we come. The entire movie was shot at night in twenty nine days.

Richard Dreyfuss, Charles Martin Smith, and Ron Howard

Mackenzie Phillips and the strangely complex Paul Le Mat

Debralee Scot (I think) and, of course...Harrison Ford

The future Indiana Jones.

Beautiful Cindy Williams

Ahh, the man, Wolfman Jack

I'd heard of Midnight Cowboy (1969) from friends of mine but, as with all the AFI films I'm watching, didn't know what to expect. There's a saying about poetry, which is that all poems are love poems. I'm starting to wonder if that isn't true about all films, or at least all good films.

The love of friendship, especially between two men, is difficult to portray. I'm not sure why that's so. Maybe it has more to do with the American audience. Men in this country and culture--from my inexperienced point of view (never having traveled)--feel there's a stigma attached to showing love and friendship to another man. That's changing, I'd like to think.

I enjoyed Jon Voight's performance quite a bit. Acting naive isn't nearly as easy as it looks, and Voight pulls it off well. He's a good ol' boy, despite his chosen profession, and it's his humanity that warms the film throughout.

Dominating, however, is Dustin Hoffman as Ratso Rizzo in what has become a caricatured performance. But Hoffman is anything but one dimensional. His is a Pagliacci performance, making the viewer unsure whether to laugh, cry, feel sympathy or be revolted. Neither of these characters is very bright, and so the seemingly effortless portrayal by two intelligent actors is inspiring.

I'd hesitate to say what the movie's about. I'm sure it requires a few more viewings. During the first half hour, which is mostly character exposition, I thought "Well, they're not being very subtle." That was fine as, like Easy Rider, there's no need. But I was caught off guard. The subtlety snuck up on me. By the end, I knew I'd been suckered in as much as Vaughn's character is by the street-savvy New Yorkers.

Jon Voight, cowboy in New York.

Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. Notice where Hoffman's attention is.

There were just enough shots like this to provide complex atmoshpere.

Tremendous work, because Hoffman doesn't overdo it.